Begin Again
by paralighter4ever
Summary: After 8 months of sulking after being dumped by Mike for 'not being good enough', Bella doesn't believe she can love again. Will meeting a copper-haired new guy change everything? This is one-shot was inspired by "Begin Again" by Taylor Swift from her new album "Red".


**A/N: So, in celebration of Taylor Swift's new album, "Red" release, I decided to write a one-shot about one of the songs that kept getting stuck in my head. It's called "Begin Again", and I highly recommend listening to it while reading this! Thanks!**

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_"But on a Wednesday, in a café, I watched it begin again."_

_-"Begin Again" by Taylor Swift -_

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"Okay, Bella, time to get up," Alice said forcefully, pulling the covers from over my head on the couch.

It had been eight months since I had stepped outside and did anything productive, besides eat and sleep. I hadn't even been to work since then.

Eight months since my ex-boyfriend Mike Newton broke up with me for "not being pretty enough."

I thought we were happy. We had met each other's families last year for Christmas and Thanksgiving. He'd given me a promise ring last year, which was now somewhere in the trash. I finally had the courage to take it off a few days ago when one of my best friends, Alice Brandon, asked me why I still wore it the last time we spoke on the phone.

Alice and our other best friend, Rosalie Hale, had been trying to get me out of the house, but I always refused, claiming to be sick or working.

"No, not yet; I feel sick," I mumbled, pulling the covers back up.

"Girl, no, you do not," Rose's voice called out, pulling the covers back now. Rose?

I looked up, and the sun's glare burned my eyes. I covered my face instantly. "Rose? What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you, of course!" Rose spoke up confidently. "Now, come on. We're going out."

"No, I'm not ready —"

"Bella," Alice interrupted me, "It's time to step out. It's been eight months, and you've done nothing but mope and cry and whine and eat ice cream."

"Not true!" I refuted lamely. "I also watched lame television!"

"Exactly! Time to move on already," Alice replied.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I shook my head. "I can't. I don't think I'll be able to find someone again after..." I choked at _his _name.

Alice and Rose immediately sat next to me.

"Listen," Rose sighed, "Mike was an asshole. He chose you as his next fix, and when he got bored with you, he just tossed you away like you were nothing. You deserve better than that."

I sniffled and nodded. "What do I do?" I asked them.

"Well, first, you get up, we'll dress you up, and we'll take you out to lunch!" Alice squealed, standing up and running to my closet.

The girls spent almost an hour working on my hair, makeup, and clothes. I ended up wearing a dark blue skirt with a white tank top tucked underneath and black sandals. It was still summer time, so I thought this look was tame for me. I was glad Alice didn't put me in high heels like she usually did.

This was the first time I would be going out after _our _breakup, and I couldn't help but feel nervous. I looked in the mirror and took a few deep breaths in. Alice hugged her small body against mine.

"Don't worry; everything will be perfect. I can see it," she giggled.

I tried to smile, but I came out as a grimace. Alice swore she had this "sixth sense," but I thought she was just really good at predicting stuff.

We left around three in the afternoon to a new café around the corner. It was packed, but not as packed as the opening day the week before. As we stepped inside, I felt a little self-conscious that everyone was staring at me. I checked myself, and I felt Rose hold my hand, reassuring me with a smile.

I tried to smile back, but I still felt a little worried.

We sat down in a booth and ordered our food. Rose and Alice chatted together while I looked around the café, watching everyone laughing and talking.

And then, I spotted him. This gorgeous, tall, lean guy, with copper hair, green eyes, and a wicked crooked-smile. He was talking with some girl, probably his friend or sister, across from him. His eyes traveled to mine, and I looked down, blushing a deep red. That was probably his girlfriend. I wasn't worth his time.

"Bella, why are you blushing so much?" Alice asked me.

"Um, no reason," I mumbled, glancing between her and the copper-haired guy while biting my nails.

"Who are you looking at?" Rose glanced around until she found the guy I was looking at. She smiled. "He's cute, Bella!"

"Shh!" I hissed at her, praying he didn't hear us.

"That's Edward Cullen," Alice spoke, practically jumping up and down in her seat. "He's new in town. And single." She winked with a grin.

"Alice, no! No, I'm not ready for dating yet! I can't..." I stammered.

"You can, and you will; now, go!" Alice pushed me out of the booth and to where the copper-haired Adonis was.

I looked back on Rose, and she winked, giving me encouragement.

I looked ahead, gulped, and slowly walked to where he and the girl were sitting. I was almost there, when the both of them got up, hugged, and kissed each other's cheek. I looked away as they walked away and out the door. Embarrassed, I ran to the bathroom, into an empty stall, and cried silently. Why did Alice and Rose think I could do this? All I would do was compare potential dates to...Mike.

Mike never liked it when I wore sandals, let alone high heels.

Mike didn't ever like the music I listened to; he didn't really understand some of the lyrics.

Mike didn't like any of my sarcastic jokes and puns.

Mike was selfish, arrogant, and didn't love Rose and Alice like I did.

I wanted to forget about Mike and move on with my life. I wanted to love again, get married, and have a nice life. But to do that, I needed to get out of this bathroom and stop crying about the past.

So I sat up, wiped my eyes, and walked out of the bathroom, fighting my nerves.

And to my amazement, the copper-haired guy came back! I couldn't believe it! Where that girl was from before I didn't know, but I was kind of glad he was still here. I walked past him, sat near him, pulled out my IPhone, and went through my playlist.

"Hi," a velvety voice beside me spoke out.

I turned around, staring into a pair of green eyes. He was even more beautiful in person.

"Hi," I whispered back, nervously.

"Um, I noticed that you looked upset before. Are you okay?" he asked kindly.

He came back to ask me if I was okay?

"Yeah... yeah, I'm okay, thanks," I stammered and then cleared my throat.

"'Cause my sister-in-law saw you leaving, and I just got concerned," he explained, sitting down next to me.

_Oh, that was his sister-in-law. Thank, God!_

"Oh, um, well, thanks for your concern, um..." I hinted out, waiting for his name.

"Edward," he smiled, putting out his hand to shake.

"I'm Bella. I'm sorry, Edward, but my personal problems are kind of complicated. It might be best if I didn't share them with you," I said, shaking his hand. I gasped when I felt some kind of spark between our hands. I looked up, and he looked surprised as well.

"Sorry, I..." I trailed off, even more embarrassed than before. My face burning, I turned away from Edward.

"No, it's okay," Edward said. "So what happened?" He obviously did not take my hint.

I sighed deeply. "My ex, Mike, dumped me because I wasn't 'good enough' for him. He said he found someone else to 'fit his needs.'" I looked down.

He used his finger to lift my chin up to his eyes. "If I can add something, this Mike's a freaking idiot. You're a beautiful woman."

I scoffed at that.

"I'm serious. I've known you for all of five minutes, and you have been nothing if not kind and sweet. And you have a pretty smile." Edward smiled, and I smiled back. It was a genuine smile this time. "What are you listening to?" he asked, nodding to my IPhone.

"Oh, um, Paramore." I showed him my huge Paramore playlist.

"Wow," he laughed, "I've never seen anyone with as many songs as me!"

"Really? You have a playlist as big as mine?" I laughed.

He took out his IPhone and showed me his Paramore playlist. He wasn't joking; he really had a playlist as big as mine! I laughed as I told him so. We listened to a few songs as well as a few others from other artists. I made a few jokes, and he laughed and said I was funny, which I thought was a bit strange, but I let him have his fun. As a slow song played in our ears, I found myself growing closer to this wonderful stranger. I leaned into his shoulder, and he put his arm around me.

As the day turned into evening, people started leaving the café, including Rose and Alice. They saw me with Edward and waved me over. I almost forgot about them; being with Edward created this small little bubble around us.

"Oh, um, Edward?" I whispered.

"Yeah?" he mumbled in my hair.

"I have to go now," I said reluctantly, getting up off his shoulder.

"Oh, really?" he asked, a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"Yeah, you want to meet my friends?" I asked, standing up.

"Yeah, sure." He smiled and walked with me to Alice and Rose. They were introduced, and we all left together. I felt Edward's hand slip into mine, and I blushed, smiling.

Rose went to the driver's seat, and Alice slid into the backseat. I walked to the passenger's seat when Edward called my name. I turned around, and he looked a little nervous.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Would you like to have dinner with me sometime? I would like to get to know you more." He smiled.

"Oh, sure, yeah." I smiled, and I wrote my number on his hand in pen. He looked at me the whole time I did it, and I got butterflies in my stomach.

"Thanks." He smiled hugely and kissed my cheek.

"Aww!" Rose and Alice swooned, and I blushed a deeper red than I already was.

He opened the passenger door for me, and he watched us leave.

A few seconds later, I heard my phone ring. I quickly answered. "Hello?"

"Okay, I was just making sure you didn't give me a fake number or something," Edward laughed.

"No, never." I smiled.

I was so glad I went out.

**The End**

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**A/N: Go buy/legally download Taylor's album "Red"! It'll blow you away! Reviews please! Thanks for reading! **

**Follow me on Twitter: dani_pitter**


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